How to Care for your Leather

Salthouse CORSAIR 49E

Understanding Your Leather

Leathers are not all the same. The way they have been finished alters how they feel, the absorbency rate of soiling, colourfastness and at times the need for different care products. Leather is a natural material with pores and hair follicles, similar to our own skin. All leathers are artificially coloured and while a pigmented, top coated leather is less porous than a pure aniline or nubuck, they are all still porous allowing the leather to breathe for your comfort. Leather will absorb soiling which, if not removed regularly will cause premature wear and discolouration.

DEFINING WEAR ~ It is not necessarily how many times you sit down and get up, but the total hours spent in your furniture each day. Understanding this helps you understand the maintenance required. Also important is the type of soiling. We break this into two areas, ie wet and dry soiling (wet being the most damaging). While some forms of wet soiling are obvious such as spillages, others are not and can cause damage over a relatively short period. Perspiration ~ from hair, arms and legs on areas of contact can cause colour destabilisation or loss, leading to breakdown of the leather, causing a repair which may have been avoidable with a little extra attention when cleaning. Thinking about wear and examining your furniture while cleaning, can help prevent small problems becoming large ones.


Maintaining your leather upholstery

Use cleaning and care products such as the Pelle System 'Peace of Mind' Leather Care that is formulated to international tanning standards and approved for sealed upholstery leathers.
Regular light cleaning followed by deep cleaning every 3-4 month. After deep cleaning condition and protect your leather to keep it soft and supple and provide protection against wear, soiling and spillages making future cleaning easier. Use special products for stain removal, spillage removal and scratch repair.

Prevention is the key!

To help extend the life of your leather furniture it is important to clean and condition the leather on a regular basis, usually every four to six months, depending on the amount of use.

After cleaning, the conditioner will help to prevent future spillages penetrating into the leather, and helps protect against discolouration, cracking or premature wear and tear.

Where possible, avoid excessive sun exposure. Leather that is regularly exposed to the sun can over time fade and become brittle and also damage the stitching.

Source: Total Trim Ltd

Snapper Fishing Rules change 1 April 2014

From April 1 2014 the fishing rules for the Snapper 1 region are changing.

The Snapper 1 Region covers the East Coast of the North Island from East Cape to Cape Runaway, out to a distance of 200 nautical miles.

The snapper bag limit is changing to 7 and the legal minimum size is changing to 30cm.

No other bag and size limits are affected.  

Is the wife not happy with you filleting the catch in the kitchen sink?

Then here's a trick I learned some years ago, and the best thing is all you need is some snap-lock bags and a bucket of water - Tip from Michael our Operations Manager

1. Fillet the catch and cut into manageable portions
2. Place them inside the snap-lock bag leaving the top open
3. Fill a bucket of water to near the top
4. Place the bottom of the bag containing the fillets in the bucket of water, keeping it against the inside top edge of the bucket
5. Gently submerge the bag down the side of the bucket pushing the air out from around the fillets - the air will naturally escape from the top of the bag due to the water pressure 
6. Continue the process until all the air is removed 
7. All you do then is snap the bag up while maintaining pressure against the side of the bucket
8. 
   

Give it a go next time you have some fillets needing freezing, the results, one happy wife and great tasting fish.

So, put snap-lock bags on the list next time you visit the supermarket.

Every boat should have at least one box on board as this is not the only great use for them.

Boat Safety - Know the rules

This is a great snapshot of Boating Rules !
-  from Maritime New Zealand

Shore Power supply when on a Marina

Before connecting shore power at any marina for the first time consult with the marina office.  All vessels connecting to shore power must hold & display a current Electrical Warrant of Fitness (EWOF) that complies with AS/NZS3004.2. An Electrical Warrant of Fitness is valid for 4 years from date of first inspection.  Shore power leads must also be tested & tagged annually as per AS/N7S3760.

On arrival

• Check the value of the low-voltage electrical supply at your berth and whether it is supplied from a shore-side isolating transformer.  The frequency of the supply will be 50 Hz.
• Check that the socket-outlet you've been provided with will accommodate the plug on your supply cord and check the maximum available current.
• Where a craft is provided with more than one low-voltage electrical supply, each supply must have the same method of connection: that is, by connection through an isolating transformer with the hull and conductive parts bonded, or by connection without an isolating transformer.
• Take precautions to prevent the supply lead from sagging or from falling into the water.  In particular, check that neither end of the supply lead could fall into the water if it should become disengaged.
• Only one craft supply lead should be connected to any one socket-outlet.
• The supply lead should be in one length, and should not be used while coiled.
• The entry of moisture and salt into a craft’s appliance inlet can cause a hazard. Examine it carefully and clean it before connecting to the marina low-voltage electrical supply.
• It is dangerous for unskilled persons to attempt repairs or alterations. If any difficulty arises, consult a licensed electrician or, if at a marina, consult the marina management.

Before leaving the marina

• Ensure that the marina low-voltage electrical supply is switched off and that the supply lead is disconnected.
• The supply lead should be disconnected first from the marina socket-outlet, and then from the craft appliance inlet.  Any cover that may be provided to protect the appliance inlet from the weather should be securely replaced. 
•  The supply lead should be coiled up and stored in a dry location where it will not be damaged.

What Is RCD protection?

All shore power modules are protected by a Residual Current Device. An RCD is an electrical safety device that provides protection by rapidly disconnecting the electricity supply should a fault to earth be detected. Always test the RCD each time you connect to shore power.  If a fault is found to exist disconnect the shore power & notify marina management.

In marinas, can 10A sockets be used for the shore power connection of pleasure vessels?

No, the Electricity Amendment Regulations 2002 and AS/NZS 3004 requires socket outlets to comply with 1EC60309 (round pin plug & sockets) and to be rated l6A or greater for the shore power connection of pleasure vessels. The use of 10 amp socket outlets is limited to use for general purpose single appliances only such as a drill or battery charger and not permitted for on board connectable installations.

Information from - www.med.govt.nz/energysafety

Fishing Rules at your finger tips

Download this great App!

Get fish species information on-the-go with the MPI Recreational Fishing App. The app helps you to identify recreational fish species common in your area through images, then displays relevant information such as the minimum legal size, maximum daily limits and area bag limits. Short videos show how to release undersize fish correctly and also how to measure and determine the sex of crayfish. Local notices will give you updates on any temporary closures in the area.

Click on this link for more information.

http://www.mpi.govt.nz/travel-and-recreation/fishing/fishing-rules/

Tip of the Week

Know before you Go

Before you go boating, get familiar with New Zealand's Boating Safety code, no matter what kind of boat you use.